Page 49 of Run with Me

It wasa week after New Year’s when Mary and Jack asked me to join them at their last doctor’s appointment. Mary had this idea of me being at her side when she gave birth, and despite the numerous ways in which I tried to decline, I lost. I didn’t think that I was close enough to the two of them to be in the room, nor did I have much experience with childbirth, but what did I know? This family welcomed me with open arms the moment they found me and made me part of their lives. I once thought that Pace was the only place I could live, but there was something to be said about a home that felt safer than the rest of the world. Xavier’s home was that sanctuary for me, without danger, and it felt secure.

The doctor talked about a birth plan. From labor pain management to breathing techniques to measuring contractions… and then at the end of it all, the doctor concluded that Mary should stay flexible with the plan altogether — in case something came up. Why plan at all, then? I didn’t think that one could map out the birth process in so much detail. My birth plan had included one goal: to give birth to a healthy baby. It seemed that Mary’s goal was the same, but the hassle she was putting herself through to reach it made a simple process the most complicated one I’d everseen.

Then there was the talk of an epidural. That alone made me feel queasy. Why would anyone agree to having a needle stuck into their spine? That sounded much more painful than the birth itself. The amount of information was overwhelming.

When I was pregnant with Mikey, all I knew was that it would be difficult and it would hurt like a thousand bulls slamming into you all at once. It did hurt; but the moment I saw that little face and instantly fell in love, I knew the pain was worthit.

Some girls in town bit down on a rug to relieve the pain. I’d heard of other ones getting a shot of tequila in the final stages, but a needle?

I shook my head as Mary smoothed her hand over her ripened stomach. Mary chose to leave her options open, and I was so proud of her. Her due date was fast approaching, and while I thought she had everything ready, Mary didn’t think so. The shopping wouldn’t stop, and neither would the panicking that she’d be a bad mother.

I told Jack that I was worried about her stress levels, and today, after the doctor’s appointment, we agreed to spend the day with Mary with the aim of keeping her calm and relaxed.

Just as we sat down at a café table a block away from the doctor’s office, Mary got up and excused herself to the bathroom. Jack received a phone call on the rectangular cell phone and almost immediately hung up. His only words were yes, no, and the café’s address. I had a feeling that our plan for a stress-free day was going to fail, but maybe I was wrong…

“Thank you for being so good to Mary,” Jacksaid.

“It’s me who should be thanking you. You both have done so much for me. I just can’t understandwhy.”

“What’s so difficult to understand?”

“I’m a stranger.”

He laughed and relaxed back on the seat. “Would you leave a nearly dead girl you found in an alley todie?”

“No.”

“Then you have your answer.”

“But I’m all better now. You don’t have to be sonice.”

“It’s too late for that. We’re friends now, and friends look out for each other.” Jack made a funny gesture with his finger, like he was pointing out an important fact and I needed to pay extra attention. It made his young face look mature. It did force me to look up at him. He had a few of those funny gestures: scratching himself on a beard he didn’t have, or giving his thoughts an extra three seconds of time to marinate before he spoke. It made him look “old school” in a sexyway.

“Thank you. I don’t know how, but I want you to know that I’ll find a way to repayyou.”

“Friends also don’t keep a count of good deeds. They do them because they want to. It’s not a competition, and no one’s keeping score. You’re well and your baby is well. I’m just happy and grateful to be in a position to helpyou.”

“No one’s more grateful than I am. I don’t know what it is about you, Jack, but I feel like we’ve met in a pastlife.”

He stilled for a moment, regarding me, making that ‘older face’ again. “Me too, Anna. You’re exactly what we needed in our busy lives. You help us pause, take a break, and look around more often.”

“How?”

“You take time to live – I mean, really live – in the moment, no matter what the circumstance. When you eat a simple dinner, you enjoy it as if it were the best one you’ve ever had. You do that each time you eat, and your meals become this new adventure. What I’m trying to say, Anna, is that I found you with nothing, and yet you gave us everything.”

I felt my cheeks heat. John must have been praying hard back in Pace for me to have been gifted these amazing people in mylife.

Just as I was about to reply, I saw a silhouette walking toward us. My first instinct to hide vanished as soon as I saw that it was Xavier. I stood up to greet him, my insides humming with sudden happiness. I glued myself against his body and didn’t want to let go. He’d held me so many times over the past two months, soothing my aching heart with courageous words that I’d gotten used to his arms aroundme.

“Xavier, you’re here.” His embrace warmed me in an instant, and I let go. There was tension in his body. I pulled away, taking another look at his face. Was it his work? Did he have some trouble whileaway?

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“All right. Is everything okay with you?” I replied, just as Jack stood up and glanced at his watch.

“Excuse me while I check onMary.”

He pushed away from the table and left, a wave of concern following him. I sat back down at the table, and Xavier took the seat next tome.

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